The Four Freedoms
by soul.assassin.547
Summary: This came from an idea that I had up after watching the final episode; it's a short one-shot discussing the compatibility of 0048 with the principles of Roosevelt's famous Four Freedoms in a classroom setting. Eventually I may try to write a bigger story around this theme.


**THE FOUR FREEDOMS**

A short AKB0048 fanfiction written by soulassassin

04/07/13 09:26:32 PM

* * *

"_In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms._

_The first is freedom of speech and expression – everywhere in the world._

_The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way – everywhere in the world._

_The third is freedom from want – which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants – everywhere in the world._

_The fourth is freedom from fear – which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor – anywhere in the world._

_That is no vision of a distant millennium. It is a definite basis for a kind of world attainable in our own time and generation. That kind of world is the very antithesis of the so-called new order of tyranny which the dictators seek to create with the crash of a bomb."_

– U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, from the _Four Freedoms_ speech, addressing Congress.

* * *

"Today, we are to discuss about your role in society, as active agents of democratic principles, especially the freedom of speech," Okayama said to his class, consisting of the 75th, 76th and 77th Generations of trainees. They were present in this classroom belonging to the Akibastar Academy of Arts and Sciences, as part of their training as successors-to-be, asides from addressing the need for formal education when not performing onstage or practicing.

Nagisa Motomiya watched their teacher, Professor Jun Okayama, the poet, historian and philosopher dressed in brown tweed with elbow patches, as the man adjusted his round glasses on the bridge of the nose. She wasn't the only one, for her 0048 fellows, all wearing the "modern" private school uniform of dark-blue blazers, skirts and silk bows, listened intently as the elderly tutor paced in front of the digital blackboard with a book in hand.

"Perhaps some of you may not be aware of," Okayama spoke, "but what you young women practice is really in accordance to the principles Franklin Delano Roosevelt once spoke of and championed, as he made his speech."

"Excuse me, sir," the pig-tailed Yuka Ichijo said, raising her hand for attention. "Who is Roosevelt?"

Okayama smiled; he prized students who asked questions, rather than the other way around, as he hoped for true tigers who hungrily seek for knowledge and discuss it in an open forum rather than to be spoon-fed. From memory he dredged up all of what he knew of the polio-afflicted American president.

"Miss Ichijo, he was then the president of the United States when the Second World War on Earth broke out; Roosevelt feared that if tyranny were to be left unchecked, it would be the death of humanity itself, of his ability to express his thoughts and beliefs, of satisfying his basic needs and emotional security; he thus would be beholden to the wishes of the madman called Adolf Hitler, reduced to nothing but another domesticated farm animal, for slave labor or bloody slaughter."

All the girls nodded in agreement, for it made sense that there was a parallel between Roosevelt's time and of now, where the cold, faceless DGTO have outlawed pop music, among other things, as one of many "crimes against the state."

The acceptable form of music within the regime was supposedly classical music and state-sponsored Stalinist hymns where schoolchildren in most parts of the galaxy were required to sing them as praises to the Grand Captain, the official title of the founder and first premier of the DGTO.

"So, young ladies, let us dwell upon those Four Freedoms of Roosevelt," Okayama began as he set the book down on the lectern, picked up what appeared to be an oversized touch pen representing a length of chalk, and wrote:

_Freedom of Speech_

_Freedom of Worship_

_Freedom from Want_

_Freedom from Fear_

"Freedom of speech means you have the right to openly express your opinions, thoughts, dreams... everything that you feel as an individual," Okayama said. "What makes humanity different from, and more than any other living organism is the great gift to think and openly express emotions, asides from the use of the opposeable thumb.

"We can thus extend this further to artistic expression, especially with your music and singing. That is your power of expression, to break free and make thyself the individual rather than as cogs in a vast machine."

Pressing one of three buttons on the oversized pen, the digital blackboard displayed a scanned reproduction of several AKB48 posters that were once on display on Earth decades ago.

"Once, your great predecessors were part of a machine, sorry to say, but still they were capable of speaking out their minds without restriction, that is, they did not hide much."

Another button brought up an archived example of a Google Plus posting by an AKB member, made long ago prior to World War III (henceforth followed by the Great Migration), where she also uploaded a video that she recorded using her phone's camera; she was laughing as the girl filmed her companions doing a comedic skit.

"I see it as a good thing that with this platform and the Internet," Okayama said, "they could freely express themselves and at the same time blur the line between performer and the audience through interaction. That is what makes your predecessors very distinct from anyone else in that industry. Such is the power of free speech, a universal right that makes tyrants tremble in their shoes because it's what they could not control; once it's out it cannot be recaptured."

"And what of worship?" Suzuko Kanzaki asked.

"Good question," Okayama answered. "With freedom of speech, individuals are also given the right to express their own spiritual beliefs without restriction or prejudice, regardless if he or she worships to one god or many, or chooses not to. Dictators and bigots sought to impose their beliefs upon everyone else, especially with force, because it gives them pure control of monomania, to ensure that citizenry hew to the line as their right to free speech is curtailed; they also fear the supposed intrusion of other religions because they thought it could dilute their faith and also cause followers to break off and join another religion; they punish or even kill those who do not follow, so enforcing that atmosphere of fear and paranoia.

"This city makes itself known as a true bulwark of democracy, knowledge and tolerance, and as such we tolerate the building of shrines, churches, synagogues, mosques; of peaceful proselyting and missionary activities, we actively promote interfaith relationships to ensure peace and harmony among our citizens and clerics, and we also respect the rights of the atheists, those who chose not to profess their faith."

"Sir," blue-haired Chieri Sono said as she looked up from her tablet. "If I read correctly, isn't that freedom from want means that everyone has the right to enjoy the fruits of their labors?"

"Of course, Miss Sono," Okayama agreed. "More precisely, it is to address economic and food security, that such securities ought to be upheld. As your earlier jaunt on Tundrastar attests, you have witnessed the extent of hopelessness, hunger and fear that the DGTO have imposed and promoted upon mining planets; by controlling their freedom to self-entertain, access to food and water, and keeping heavily-armed garrisons, they ensure obedience under penalty of imprisonment or death.

"Freedom from want means that every individual happily enjoys the same benefits of economic fruits, of being able to have all the basic needs addressed, like food, water, shelter, clothing, education, sanitation and health care."

"What about entertainment?" Chieri questioned. "Where does it fit into the equation?"

"Supposedly because it is less of a necessity, entertainment has no place in the list," Okayama said, "but it still matters much because humanity needs something as a catalyst, to smile for, to break boredom, something to look forward, a sense of hope,a _raison d'etre _or a reason to exist... Oh, to _feel __that they are truly human_. This may explains why there are frescoes and carvings in caves inhabited by prehistoric humans, and that there are tribal tales, dances and chants from time immemorial, still being passed on orally, in writing or by action of practice from one generation to the next."

"So in a sense," Chieri said, "entertainment is also a _basic need._"

Okayama suddenly raised his forefinger, as if to approve. "Excellent," he praised. "That is one of your mission priorities as AKB successors, but you do not just entertain – you instill hope, courage, happiness, and empowerment in your audience... Now where are we? Oh, yes, freedom from fear."

He then drew a circle around the three words, and said, "Freedom from fear means that none shall commit acts of violence against each other, as individuals, groups, societies, countries, race and so on where there is a divide between humans. It is standard practice of any dictatorship to impose order and obedience by means of physical violence and psychological warfare, and DGTO, through DES, is no exception. Now, can anyone raise your hands, to show us that you have experienced such fear of repression in your home planets?"

Almost everyone in the classroom raised their hands, including Nagisa.

"Indeed, some of you have experienced times where you sometimes look behind and make sure nobody's following, or that you were asked not to talk too much about singing or dancing, or that you're seeing DES troopers too often on the street, questioning anyone they come across, or whispers of anyone who were suddenly taken away for no reason, either to be sent to a gulag, prison or summarily executed. If you wish to know a little more, like stories you can relate with, I suggest that you can pick up a copy of Anne Frank's autobiography, of her experiences during the Nazi occupation, or writings by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn about life in Soviet Russia... So I think we'll cover them as part of next week's assignment and discussion."

With their notebooks open, the girls quickly scribbled in Okayama's recommendations.

"All four principles are complementary with each other, rather than contradictory," Okayama said. "We can expand those principles further by enumerating several points of human security such as economic, food, health, environment, personal, community and political security. Indeed, the Four Freedoms are simple to begin with, but it encompasses everything the human race needs to survive, to be happy and contented, and to follow and uphold.

"Finally, as much as the aims of the Four Freedoms are noble, and thus endowed with such immense power, let us remember those words made by the immortal Spiderman from his creator, Stan Lee, and before him, Voltaire: _with great power comes __great responsibility."_

The girls nodded and murmured their agreement.

"Rightly we have freedom, and every one of you girls are blessed with such a fortune beyond gold and diamonds, but it must be exercised with responsibility because of its potential not just for the sake of creation, but also for possible destruction. Such power is a double-edged sword, young women," Okayama warned.

Nagisa raised her hand. "Sir, why is that freedom could be destructive? Is it because if we were to be loose and don't follow laws, we could bring ourselves to ruin?"

"That is the consequence if our existence were to have no laws," Okayama said. "We have laws to govern ourselves, to restrain and to know that we still have our limits. Hence we have many laws that regulate everything as a way to balance everything so that every man, woman and child are ensured that they enjoy the same rights and privileges as everyone else. That is why too much freedom, more appropriately to be called anarchistic, lawless freedom for the sake of freedom, is of chaos and uncontrolled animalism, a contrast to extreme repression where your existence can be likened to wearing a pair of lead shoes and a gag over your mouth, all the while your life is dependent on the whims of a single tyrant. Hence we need a balance, where laws and freedoms must be in equilibrium."

"So... In short," Nagisa concluded, "The exercise of freedom requires our responsibility and restraint."

Okayama nodded. "Yes, that's all in a nutshell. Now, listen closely as we shall conclude our discussion."

The whole class stilled themselves to silence, as Okayama took a deep breath.

"You young women represent the ideals and aims of AKB0048," he said. "It is such a great privilege that you were chosen to fulfill that organization's mission, of trying to bring light to the darkest corners of the galaxy. The AKB48 of the past, as with many other idol groups of yesteryear, were concerned purely with entertainment, of record sales and performances, while worrying about trying to please the audience, but in this age and time you have a different ballgame to deal with, because the arts, in which entertainment is one of many parts of liberated speech and expression, matters much as sunshine in the hearts and souls of everyone, as important as providing food and clothing and knowledge to every commoner suffering under the bootheel of the regime.

"You are the resistance, the icebreakers for which to thaw away the cold, to set ablaze on every planet you come to, as you have taken the great sacrifice of being the _apsaras, _the mythical and pure celestial dancers of the Four Freedoms; you shall uphold those principles, champion them against the soulless, vicious policies and machinations of the dictatorship, however numerous their weapons, war machines, mind control, vile propaganda and brutal soldiery.

"You oppose them, but as Madame Katagari has imposed and thus I echo her directive, you shall not kill with a weapon of war but to kill your enemy in the most pacifistic way is through the heart with your song, dance and youth. Music and dance shall be your main armaments, and the Kirara are your companions of light, and only you young women have been granted the power of such weapons to banish the darkness from the hearts of men and women blinded by the DGTO.

"That said, take to heart the Four Freedoms, for someday soon – but never a distant epoch, never a pipe dream that philosophers and sociologists of yore vainly sought for – you could very well liberate this galaxy and bring it all to peace and harmony."

Okayama now smiled to his class, and said, "Thank you for coming."

Only then everyone, impressed with the elderly professor's concluding yet rousing speech, stood up and gave out a roaring round of applause.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I wrote this as an idea that came up after watching the final episode, recalling Roosevelt's speech to Congress, which enshrined the Four Freedoms.

In the original story, entertainment is regarded with much importance, but I thought it could've been better if entertainment wasn't the end-all or to justify the existence of 0048 (as if everything depended on entertainment like manna). Instead, asides from providing a more justifiable and slightly realistic _raison d'etre_ for AKB0048, the idea was to make entertainment more as one of many parts of freedom of speech, and thus one of the Four Freedoms.

So I placed this story in a classroom setting for a bit of realism (because, come to think of it, I wonder if the girls were able to continue studying after being recruited and accepted into the ranks, just as their real-life counterparts who divide their time between the AKB theater, home and study... Must be that Mari Okada had omitted, whether by design or not, as she wrote the script), and made the Four Freedoms as the initial subject matter for their indoctrination as trainees.

As for my other endeavors, I think this is an exercise for me to bring myself back to fanfiction writing, having neglected to continue because of terribly important real-life priorities.

I don't know if and when I would be able to develop this further into a larger body of work, but if I could finish the others, then why not?

Thank you for reading, and good evening. :)


End file.
